The new Public Health 3.0 framework focuses on addressing the social determinants of health and the significant health inequities linked to race, ethnicity, gender and class. It requires a workforce capable of meeting the needs of socially-diverse populations, working with community coalitions and cross-sector partnerships, and gauging the effectiveness of local initiatives. Gen Meredith is evaluating if community-engaged learning within Cornell’s Master of Public Health program meets the new demands for workforce training under Public Health 3.0. Her case study assesses if the course is providing value to the community, by providing additional capacity to accomplish their mission, and to the students, by accelerating the development of professional competence.

Meredith’s job is to be a focal point for the overall integrated design and delivery of a new competency-driven professional public health curriculum on campus. She is responsible for bringing together faculty from across campus and community partners to facilitate students’ transdisciplinary learning. She is also responsible for teaching several courses that use engaged-learning theory. Her project focuses on assessing the overall value of and outcomes from the Master of Public Health (MPH) program.

The MPH program is designed to have students learn from the community in the classroom, and to then shift the classroom to the community where students spend a substantial amount of time working with and learning from community partners. If done right, this will be the students’ seminal learning experience.